Opel gt concept

Opel has teased a new concept car which will show the future design direction for the brand.

But what about Opel's newest concept that is set to debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March? This wild-looking concept is called the Opel GT.

Reduced to its bare essentials. No door handles, no exterior door mirrors, no windshield wipers. The Opel GT Concept: a new expression of pure driving passion.

The concept car concept is translated as "the idea of a car". This is a kind of prototype car, which tests people's reactions to new technologies being introduced, design solutions, etc. In its original form, prototypes are never launched into mass production.

And those red bits are there on purpose. The concept features historic design cues associated with Opel's past products; the twin tailpipes with the GT wordmark in the middle are reminiscent of those on the original GT prototype. Designed by Opel Stylist Erhard Schnell, [4] the Opel GT is a fastback , that has neither an externally accessible trunk nor a conventional hatchback. The GT featured unique tail lights, and a unique front grille.

Rear-wheel-drive Opel GT concept debuts in Geneva

The Opel GT is a front-engine, rear-drive two-seat sports car manufactured and marketed by Opel in two generations — separated by a year hiatus. The first generation Opel GT debuted as a styling exercise in at the Paris and Frankfurt motor shows. The styling of the GT was often cited as similar to the Chevrolet Corvette which went on sale in September The Opel GT was equipped with a base 1.

However, most buyers chose an optional 1. Some of the early models also came with a slightly higher compression "H" code cylinder head. In , due to emissions regulations, Opel reduced the compression ratio of the 1. Standard transmission was a manual four-speed. A three-speed automatic was available with the 1. The model run of the Opel GT was from to The Opel GT uses a steel unibody and a conventional front-engined, rear-wheel drive layout. The engine is mounted far back in the chassis to improve weight distribution.

Front suspension consists of upper A-arms and a lower transverse leaf spring. A live axle and coil springs are used in the rear. The power-assisted braking system uses discs in the front, drums in the rear.

One unusual feature of the Opel GT is the operation of the pop-up headlights. They are manually operated, by way of a large lever along the center console next to the shifter. Unlike most pop-up headlights, they both rotate in the same direction counterclockwise from inside the car about a longitudinal axis. One standard joke about GT owners was that you can easily spot them due to the heavy muscles on their right arm built up by using the lever to pop up the headlights. Designed by Opel Stylist Erhard Schnell, [4] the Opel GT is a fastback , that has neither an externally accessible trunk nor a conventional hatchback.

There is a parcel shelf behind the seats that can only be accessed through the main doors. Behind the parcel shelf is a fold-up panel that conceals a spare tire and jack. The interior of the Opel GT is surprisingly large for a car of its size, owing to its original design process in which the exterior metal was sculpted around an interior model. During to , a total of , cars were sold.

The most collectable GTs are probably the first few hundred cars hand-assembled in and the — models with the 1. In some markets, items like a limited slip differential , front and rear anti-sway bars, heated rear window, and engine bay light were standard, although most cars were shipped without them.

Reasons for ending production were the need to redesign the car to remain competitive with up-and-coming sports models, such as the Datsun Z, as well as the termination of Brissonneau and Lotz ' bodybuilding contract. Unusually for the period, here was no Vauxhall equivalent model to the GT sold in the United Kingdom. The Sylvia was also designed with an eye to safety. Maxwell Smart drove a GT in several episodes, and the car features prominently in the opening credits.

Opel also used variants of the CIH engine from to , so most parts are somewhat available. Some of the rarest and most costly parts are the ignition switches, rear trim strips, and — rear axle bearings. One can fairly easily adapt larger engines, transmissions and brakes from newer Opels. For example, a fuel-injected 2. On February 1, , Opel issued a press release announcing the upcoming production of a new Opel GT, as a likely model.

The GT featured inch alloy wheels and a folding cloth top similar, cigarette lighter on the driver's side door, two ashtrays one on each door , a passenger-side storage cubby instead of a speaker grate, behind the passenger seat , and a rear fog light — and did not include OnStar, as OnStar had not yet launched in Europe. Built-in Bluetooth was not available. The GT featured unique tail lights, and a unique front grille.